Welcome to a journey of tending hearts & mending life.

My overall purpose of this blog is to create a connection between the adventure that I experience, and you, wherever you are in the world. It’s a slow, circuitous journey connecting us in ways invisible. For me, connection often comes in story form, threaded through a core memory of my life. I invite us to take a minute, or ten, to connect with our self, to take in the views of our surroundings, to breathe in memories, and on occasion, take a siesta. Verandas are social places, and sacred spaces…a perfect place for tending hearts & mending life.

” Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

MAHATMA GANDHI

When I began this journey in December I was aware of how much world history that I didn’t know, how inexperienced I was about oceans, sailing, and ports. However, I knew that my appetite for learning, and my curiosity about the world around me was larger than my lack. What I have learned in the weeks since has both humbled me, and graced me with gratitude.

Our oceans are massive in size, immensely rich in diversity, abundant with marine creatures, and essential for supporting human life. Each body of water has its’ own personality, in a sense. And yet, there is the common thread of wind streams, currents and seasonal patterns that weaves its way through each ocean. I have watched the sun shimmer, and dance in sparkling delight over a glass like surface, and hours later the “glass” shatters into wild waves. No doubt it is these tumultuous water works that have laid claim to sailors, explorers, and migrant peoples for thousands of years. The history, the stories, the pain and grief of humanity held in the depths of the sea is a humbling reality. I will never tire watching the rolling waves, or hear the rhythmic thrumming of ebb and flow. Among my most cherished memories will be moments on the veranda in the dark night; the starry sky like millions of diamonds on black velvet, only the swoosh of the water breaking the silence. To have shared this journey with one of my favorite people in the world, fills me with gratitude as deep as the ocean.

THREE VISTAS

TWO THOUGHTFUL THREADS

• Ubuntu: (oo-BOON-too), A South African word that communicates a belief of human interconnection, and oneness; humanity towards others. In the words of Nelson Mandela: “The profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievements of others.” There is a story told of an Anthropologist visiting a tribe. He suggested a game for the children. Placing a basket of fruit near a tree, he told them that the first child to reach the basket, won all of the fruit. When he gave the children the signal to “run!”, the children all took each others’ hand, and ran to the basket together. The Anthropologist asked why they ran that way. One little boy said, “Ubuntu, how can I be happy eating fruit, if my friends are sad?”

• Null Island: a geographical point 375 miles (600 km) west of the coast of Ghana, in the Gulf of Guinea, where the Prime Meridian intersects with the Equator. Think about it; an imaginary island where imaginary lines meet: a perfect example of an invisible life!! While there was a NOAA weather observation buoy at the location (0 latitude, 0 longitude), it was decommissioned in March 2021.

ONE HISTORICAL THREAD

On this journey we have encountered several UNESCO World Heritage sites. In fact, over the past several years I’ve been alert for a UNESCO site wherever I am. However, it is only recently that I’ve learned the history of the program, their valuable mission, and contribution to the well-being of humanity. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization created the World Heritage program in 1972. As of July 2025, there are 1,248 World Heritage sites in 170 countries, including every continent except Antarctica.